12.12.22

Leadership is an interesting concept. I’ll use my personal profession of coaching to make my point. As a coach, you have influence on those who you coach, but at the end of the day, you can’t do it for them. It being the workouts, the school work, the film study, the small daily decisions, or the plays on game day. So, for as much dominion as coaches can have, they hold no power over the individual hearts which drive the it-factor of a player – that’s someone else’s job.

If adjusting the wiring in someone’s heart is off the table, then what is truly the most impactful gift a coach can give a player? What I’ve landed on is the gift of INSPIRATION. The ability to inspire someone is not easy. Inspiration is not a box to be checked, it’s challenging to measure, and it doesn’t have a finite end point. To inspire, people must be able to see themselves in you, and ALSO be able to see the person they hope to be. You need both: the connection and the hope. If a player can only see a counterfeit illusion of perfection, and can’t relate to the coach, then they will find no approachable guide to help lead them on the road of growth. Secondly, if a coach only serves as a relatable companion, without representing a hope for more, then they’ll never inspire a player to go beyond the place in which they currently exist. You need connection and hope to inspire.

How does a coach best connect to the soul of a player? By opening a window into their own. This is done through vulnerability and honesty. Allowing those around you to see your struggles, failures, and emotions allows them to find something in you which may currently exists inside of them. That’s how inspiration starts. The silver lining for those who have struggled, failed, and been through life’s valleys with a painful regularity, is that they have the opportunity to inspire a broader audience… but it starts by opening a window into your soul and letting them into your own journey.

The second part of the equation is hope. Players need hope too – they have to be able to see elements of who they hope to be on display: your walk of life, your responses, your work ethic, your joy, your toughness, ect. These virtues are an ever-present demonstration for those you interact with each day.

I’m not sure there is a more difficult gift to give than inspiration, but players fueled with inspiration will go further than a coach could ever take them through a well-articulated lesson. I thank God for opening my eyes to this road map, but desperately pray for his direction in navigating the course. I also thank him for those he has placed in my life who inspire me. Lastly, I pray we all would learn the power in allowing those around us to see us for who we really are. God did… that’s why he sent Jesus to us.